


Cocktober 23: Phobia AKA 'Jaws' Ruined Everything

by Glitter_Bug



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: (like one sip mostly spat back out), Billy helps Will, Billy is passionate about sharks, Fluff, M/M, Phobia, Sharks, Swearing, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27166051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glitter_Bug/pseuds/Glitter_Bug
Summary: Will's not a fan of sharks. Billy tries to convince him otherwise.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Will Byers & Billy Hargrove
Comments: 4
Kudos: 79
Collections: Cocktober Prompt Meme





	Cocktober 23: Phobia AKA 'Jaws' Ruined Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Basically just Will and Billy bonding.

It was movie night at Steve’s, and Billy was not entertained.

He would’ve gone to bed already, were it not for the entirely irresistible lure of Steve Harrington snuggled into him, and the fact that he still had a six-pack of beer left to finish in the fridge.

The film was dumb. Some terribly acted Jaws rip-off with awful special effects and only the tiniest semblance of a plot.

But the kids were hooked, absolutely captivated by the sheer travesty on the television screen.

All except one. 

Billy had been watching Will intently for the last ten minutes. Watching him growing paler and paler, his fingers drumming nervously against his leg. Watching as Will squeezed his eyes shut every time the shark came on screen, how he pressed his hands over his ears to try and shut out the screams coming from the TV.

The music sting grew louder, more ominous, and the screen centered on a little boy splashing in the water, oblivious to the pointed fin circling around him.

Will jolted up at the next jarring note, quickly slipping out of the room. Billy looked around, but the other kids hadn’t noticed. Mike and El were too wrapped up in each other, as were Max and Lucas, and Dustin’s eyes were still firmly glued to the screen, popcorn spilling from his mouth as another burst of sound caused him to jump.

Steve had noticed though, because _of course_ he would, and he was already in the process of wriggling out from under Billy’s arm, when Billy put a gentle hand on his shoulder to guide him back down,

“Lemme go, I need another beer anyway,” Billy whispered, shaking his empty can as evidence.

“You sure? He looked pretty upset,” Steve’s brow was creased in worry, and Billy took advantage of the kids’ distraction to press a quick kiss to it, to try and soothe those lines away.

“Yeah, I’ll check on him, don’t worry,” and with that, Billy made his way into the kitchen.

Billy spotted Will’s foot, sticking out from behind the kitchen island, the moment he walked in, but he made sure he took his time grabbing a couple of beers, making plenty of noise so that Will wasn’t too shocked when Billy came and sat down next to him.

Will made a pitiful sight, slumped down with his knees drawn up to his chin, tears pooling in his eyes and a faint tremor still running through his body. He drew into himself even further when he saw Billy, burrowing his face into his arms.

“Don’t laugh at me,” the words were muffled, and Billy felt a flush of guilt at even the thought of doing that. Maybe Billy from last year, sure, but not now- not now he knew the kids. And, ok, maybe he would’ve been a little tempted to mock Dustin or Mike, but Billy had a soft spot for Will, and he wasn’t the best at hiding it.

“I know I’m being dumb,” Will continued, less muffled now as he raised his head to scrub at his eyes, "I'm never going to meet a shark. We're hundreds of miles from the ocean,"

"Yeah," Billy nodded sadly at the thought of the distance.

"So it’s dumb, me being scared of them.” Will sniffed, looking entirely miserable.

Well…" Billy drew out the word, not wanting to make Will feel even worse, "Kinda, but that's what a phobia is. It's not exactly rational.”

Will slumped his head again, “I’m so stupid, I’m being a baby.”

Billy flicked open one of the beer cans and tapped it gently against Will’s hand,

“You think I’d let a baby drink my beer?” he smirked, “Go on, before anyone sees.”

Will’s eyes were wide as he stared at the can. Billy shook it at him, more insistently this time, and Will took it with a shaking hand, pressing it to his lips and taking a sip.

“Yuck,” he spat, his face wrinkled in disgust, “That’s...euggh.”

“You get used to it,” Billy shrugged, taking a gulp of his own. 

Will look unimpressed, and Billy nudged at him with a gentle elbow,

“Anyway- even if you were standing right on the beach, you still wouldn’t need to be scared of sharks. Sharks don’t want to hurt people, not really.”

Will looked up at him, eyes still watery but with a hint of a smile on his face, “Yeah?”

“Yeah!” Billy grinned, “Trust me. Sharks don’t wanna eat people at all, but they don’t have great eyesight, so they see a surfer like this-” Billy straightened his torso up and began paddling at the air with his arms, looking somewhat ridiculous. And maybe the few beers he'd been drinking with Steve had hit him harder than he'd realised so he was overacting just a bit, but it was worth it for the way Will snorted into his fist and tried to smothered a laugh.

Billy smiled even more and carried on, “And the shark gets all confused and thinks, ‘oh yum a seal, my favourite’ and then he goes to take a bite, and it’s _not_ a seal, so he just spits it out all ‘yeugh’..” Billy pulled an exaggerated face, eyes wide and tongue out, spluttering and spitting in the air. Will laughed even more, a proper giggle, not even trying to disguise it this time, and Billy felt a rush of warmth at how happy he now looked, “and the shark swims away. It never wanted to hurt a person, it just got muddled, and anyway the person came into the shark’s home so-”

“Bill? Will?”

Steve’s voice rang out through the kitchen, and Billy stuck his arm out from behind the island and waved,

“Right here.”

Steve came over to them both, immediately spotting the beer in Will’s hand and plucking it from his fingers with an absolutely scandalised look at Billy,

“Nope, absolutely not, no, no way. Shoulda known you’d be being a bad influence,” he tutted.

“Ahh, if anything I’ve put him off for life,” Billy smirked, and Will nodded in agreement, 

Steve sat down on the other side of Will, letting his head tip back against the island, “Whatchya doing in here anyway?”

“Billy’s been telling me why sharks aren’t really scary,” Will said, the lightness back in his voice.

“Oh no, Will, buckle in,” Steve grinned, "'shark rights' is Billy's second favourite rant," Billy let out an offended huff, and Steve reached over Wills head to poke Billy on the forehead, "C'mon, it's right after 'why nowhere will ever make tacos as good as the ones from this one place in Cali', and just before 'Bon Jovi are not metal Steve, either that tape goes or you do.' 

Billy rolled his eyes, "Both those points stand, and so does this. Sharks are cool and Jaws has a lot to answer for."

"He's gonna tell you that they're all misunderstood now," Steve stage-whispered to Will, and Billy nodded firmly,

"Damn right I am because they are! They hardly hurt anyone, and never really on purpose, but everyone takes one look at a shark and panics, and yeah they've got big teeth and beady eyes and they look kinda scary, but really humans are the ones doing the most harm to them, cause we hunt them and fuck up the sea and kill all the things they'd eat. So maybe they _should_ just come and munch us, it'd be-" 

Billy stopped as soon as he saw Will's face, saw the glimmer of fear coming back, "but they won't," he said quickly, "unless you start tasting like a seal." And he gnashed his teeth at Will, who ducked his head down again, this time with a blush on his face, rather than tears, "Anyway, that one in the movie looked so fake- you could practically see 'Made in China' written on the side."

Will giggled again, and Steve smiled at him,

"I wouldn't worry anyway, it turned out that shark was an alien anyway, so the blonde chick blasted it with a laser gun and it turned to goo."

"Really?" Will and Billy chorused, and Steve shrugged, "Something like that, I've been kinda drifting in and out. It's possible they put a different movie on."

Will laughed again, a wide smile on his face,

"Thanks Billy, I feel better."

"Anytime kid, trust me- sharks are OK. It's the damn sting rays gotta watch out for. They're sneaky little fucks,"

Will's eyes widened again, and Steve swatted Billy sharply on the arm,

"He's joking, aren't you?" Steve said, sternly and Billy actually looked somewhat guilty for once,

"Yeah, totally, just a joke," he smiled, and Will left the room, still grinning from ear to ear.

Steve scooted into the space left by Will, pressing a kiss to Billy's cheek.

"That was sweet of you," he murmured, his lips moving to Billy's ear, "helping Will like that."

Billy shivered at Steve's touch, "Not sweet," he grumbled, "Just gotta stick up for the sharks, y'know, Spielberg really fucked 'em over."

"Of course, of course," Steve peppered gentle kisses down Billy's neck, "it was all about the sharks."

"And you got it wrong anyway," Billy nudged Steve with his shoulder, his hand stroking onto Steve's thigh, "the taco truck's not my top rant, not anymore."

"No?" Steve pulled back to give him a quizzical look, "what is then?"

"Oh definitely the one about Steve Harrington's divine cock," Billy grinned wickedly, "how it's quite possibly the most wonderful one I've ever seen and how I'm hoping it'll be in my mouth or my ass by the end of the night."

Steve's mouth dropped open in shock as Billy stood up and started to stride out of the kitchen. He stopped, just by the doorway, turning round to look back at Steve.

"And I'm still right about Bon Jovi."

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently Billy's thing about sharks mistaking humans for seals is totally incorrect, but he mostly just wanted to cheer Will up so I'm letting it stand.


End file.
